Rest and Recovery, part 1
I’ve been a member of different “Globo-gyms” in the past and with traditional weightlifting and cardio programs it was easy to schedule days off. CrossFit is a different animal. The high intensity workout style gives us something different every day. We’re taking muscle confusion to the max! Whereas with traditional lifting, or more of a body building style of lifting, you alternate muscle groups for a programmed amount of time then need to change the programming because your muscles have adapted and hit a plateau. CrossFit’s style brings something different and [sometimes] exciting each day. It becomes hard to say “no” because we have FOMO – almost all workouts look fun! CrossFitters are crazy like that. This higher level of intensity requires us to be even more diligent than most in taking rest days in order to recover and allow our muscles to repair themselves.
CrossFit’s traditional program schedule was 3 days on, 1 day off. Meaning 3 days in a row of workouts then 1 day of rest. Each of us will respond differently. Maybe your body will tell you I can only do 2 days in a row rather than 3, or maybe your body can respond well and tolerate 4 or 5 days in a row. The point is… listen to your body. We’ve built such a community-driven space that we’re no longer just here for the workout. We like to say “come for the workout, stay for the community.” It’s easy to get caught up in the social aspect of the gym that it’s hard to not go each day because you’re feeling good, feeling strong, and connecting with people, but too many days of high-intensity workouts can lead to mental and physical fatigue, muscle strains or other injuries. Even if you’re taking a rest day but still want to go to the gym you can work on aerobic conditioning or mobility. Other options might be meal prepping, meditation, massage, or an at-home mobility session; things that still affect your health and fitness.
You also don’t have to be sedentary and actionless on your “rest” days. Use these days as an opportunity to engage in more of your hobbies – go hiking, walking, running, yoga, competitive sports, even yard work – whatever you like to do. CrossFit isn’t an all or nothing methodology. We encourage you to have passion for things outside the gym, and we believe what we do inside the gym will only improve those extracurriculars. For instance, I started playing indoor soccer with some rugby teammates back in college. Even when most of us left college and moved back to St. Louis it continued. This became a weekly “hobby” of mine. Every Monday [late] night I’d be playing indoor soccer. That meant Monday’s generally became my “active rest” day. Soccer became my Monday workout.
Yes, I’m advocating rest days but at Eureka CrossFit we want all of our members to get the most out of their membership and we’ve found that attending at least 4 classes per week is the magic number. That’s only 16 classes per month! The average of 4 classes per week is the number that is associated with long term dedication, commitment, and success. If you’ve allotted yourself only 1, 2, maybe 3 days a week at that point it becomes much easier to have something “come up” and miss your workout. The more you’re here working on your fitness the closer you are to your goals! We established the “Committed Club” as a public showing of your commitment to fitness and health through consistency. We offer monthly, quarterly, and annual incentives for those who reach that milestone.
The physiological benefits of taking rest days are: replenish your glycogen/energy stores, muscle and tissue repair, minimize fatigue, reduce risk of overuse injuries, and avoid mental burnout. Whether you’re a seasoned vet, competitive athlete, just starting out remember more isn’t always better. Listen to your body.